Global Yahoo Advertising Policies
Alcohol
United States:
Hard liquor, beer and wine advertising must comply with federal, state, and local laws as well as standard industry codes and regulations. This includes age-gating mechanisms and responsible drinking disclaimers, as deemed applicable by industry regulations.
Hard liquor, beer and wine advertising is acceptable only on sites which have 74% of their traffic over the age of 21 as validated by an industry-accepted source of metrics (e.g., comScore) and are an appropriate context for alcohol advertising. If an advertiser is proposing alcohol advertising for a property that does not have comScore reporting, please contact your Account Manager.
- All landing pages must contain an age-screening mechanism.
- Demo-targeting to users 21+ may be required for certain placements in addition to compliance with these policies.
- Hard liquor advertising must, at a minimum, comply with the Code of Good Practices, adopted by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).
- Beer advertising must, at a minimum, comply with the Beer Institute's Advertising and Marketing Code.
- Wine advertising must, at a minimum, comply with the Wine Institute's Code of Advertising Standards.
- All potential alcohol advertising must be sent to the Yahoo Ad Policy team for approval, and must comply with the above and below guidelines
Canada:
All alcohol advertising, including advertising for hard liquor (spirits), beer and wine must comply with Canadian federal and provincial laws and regulations, as well as these guidelines.
All potential alcohol advertising must get prior approval.
Location of Advertising
- On Yahoo properties, spirits, beer and wine advertising is acceptable only in the specific areas noted on the Yahoo Alcohol Buy List. These areas have 72% of their traffic over the age of 19 as validated by an industry-accepted source of metrics (e.g., comScore) and are an appropriate context for alcohol advertising. If an advertiser is proposing alcohol advertising for an Yahoo property that does not have comScore reporting, they need prior approval from the Yahoo Ad Policy team.
- On third-party publisher sites, spirits, beer and wine advertising is acceptable only on sites that have 72% of their traffic over the age of 19 as validated by an industry-accepted source of metrics (e.g., Media Metrix). For more information about which sites are appropriate for alcohol advertising, please contact the Yahoo Ad Policy team.
Content of Advertising
- All advertisements for alcoholic beverages must contain a responsibility message on the actual creative. Alcohol advertising that targets Manitoba must contain the message “Please drink responsibly”.
- All advertisements made by or on behalf of an alcohol manufacturer (e.g. a brewing company, liquor manufacturer or winery) that include a hyperlink to a landing page must either:
Include an age-screening mechanism on the landing page; or
Contain the words “Must be legal drinking age” in the advertisement. The above is not required where the landing page is operated by a provincial liquor board or store (e.g. the LCBO or The Beer Store).
- Alcohol advertisements must, at a minimum, comply with the Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages and related Interpretive Guidelines adopted by the Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission (“CRTC”), and the Advertising Standards Canada (“ASC”) Alcoholic Beverage Advertising Clearance Guide.
- Alcohol advertisements should also comply more generally with the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards and the related Interpretative Guidelines administered by Advertising Standards Canada.
- Demo-targeting to users 19+ may be required for certain placements in addition to compliance with these policies.
- Alcohol advertising that targets Quebec must be pre-approved by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux. The advertising must be in French, and may also be in French and another language provided that French is markedly predominant.
- To the extent that alcohol advertisements are targeted to users in specific provinces, additional advertising standards established by provincial government agencies may apply.
- Alcohol advertisements should not:
Encourage the general consumption of alcohol (versus promoting a brand)
Attempt to sway non-drinkers of any age to purchase alcohol
Promote irresponsible, excessive or prolonged consumption or use
Imply or depict actual consumption
Portray a product as a status symbol or necessity of life
Imply social or personal acceptance, success or achievement as a result of consumption
Imply alcohol is needed for the realization of a desired lifestyle, athletic prowess, sexual opportunity, fulfillment of goals or resolution of problems
Claim healthful, curative or stimulating effects
Associate the product with drinking and driving or the operation of motor vehicle
Associate the product with an activity that requires a high degree of care or skill
Associate the product with any situation where consumption is prohibited
Contain inducements based on a product’s (elevated) alcohol content
Contain imperative language such as “buy” or “drink”
Target persons under the legal drinking age (minors), and in particular should not:
Link alcohol products with young persons or symbols of youth
Connect alcohol products with activities primarily attractive to minors
Contain endorsements by persons considered “role models” to minors
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Please refer to the guidelines and links above for further information and direction.
International: